Trap the Soul (Su): A demilich can trap the souls of up to eight living creatures per day. To use this power, it selects any target it can see within 300 feet. The target is allowed a fortitude saving throw (DC 36). If the target makes its saving throw, it gains four negative levels (this does not count as a use of trap the soul). If the target fails its save, the soul of the target is instantly drawn from its body and trapped within one of the gems incorporated into the demilich’s form. The gem gleams for 24 hours, indicating the captive soul within. The soulless body collapses in a mass of corruption and molders in a single round, reduced to dust. If left to its own devices, the demilich slowly devours the soul over 24 hours — at the end of that time, the soul is completely absorbed, and the victim is forever gone. If the demilich is overcome before the soul is eaten, crushing the gem releases the soul, after which time it is free to seek the afterlife or be returned to its body by the use of either resurrection, true resurrection, clone, or miracle. A potential victim protected by a death ward spell is not immune to trap the soul, but receives a +5 bonus on its fortitude saving throw and is immune to the level loss on a successful save. The DC is Charisma-based

Fear Aura (Su): Demiliches are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the demilich must succeed at a Will save (DC 19) or be affected as though by fear as cast by a 21st-level caster. The DC is Charisma-based.

Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a demilich touches must succeed at a fortitude save (DC 36) or be permanently paralyzed. remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by a demilich seems dead, though a successful Spot check (DC 20) or Heal check (DC 15) reveals that the victim is still alive.

Spells: The demilich can cast any spells it could cast as a lich. This sample demilich was a 21st-level wizard (spells per day: 4/12/8/7/7/7/7/6/6/6/3). The last three spell slots are 10th-level slots and available for 0–9th level metamagic spells.

Perfect Automatic Still Spell (Ex): A demilich can cast all the spells it knows without gestures.

“Demilich” is a template that can be added to any lich. It uses all the lich’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. A demilich’s form is concentrated into a single portion of its original body, usually its skull. Part of the process of becoming a demilich includes the incorporation of costly gems into the retained body part; see Creating Soul Gems, below.

Size: Medium-size and Large liches become Diminutive demiliches, Huge liches become Small demiliches, Gargantuan liches become Medium-size demiliches, and Colossal liches become Large demiliches.

Damage: The demilich gains an enhanced touch attack over that of its previous lich form (it now uses its entire flying skull to make the touch attack), including paralyzing touch. The demilich’s touch attack uses negative energy to deal 10d6+20 points of damage to living creatures (no saving throw). Liches with other natural attacks lose them.

Special Attacks: The demilich retains all the lich’s special attacks and also gains those described below.

Trap the Soul (Su): A demilich can trap the souls of up to eight living creatures per day. To use this power, it selects any target it can see within 300 feet. The target is allowed a fort=saving throw (DC 10 + demilich’s HD + demilich’s Cha modifier). If the target makes its saving throw, it gains four negative levels (this does not count as a use of trap the soul). If the target fails its save, the soul of the target is instantly drawn from its body and trapped within one of the gems incorporated into the demilich’s form. The gem gleams wickedly for 24 hours, indicating the captive soul within. The soulless body collapses in a mass of corruption and molders in a single round, reduced to dust. If left to its own devices, the demilich slowly devours the soul over 24 hours — at the end of that time, the soul is completely absorbed, and the victim is forever gone. If the demilich is overcome before the soul is eaten, crushing the gem releases the soul, after which time it is free to seek the afterlife or be returned to its body by the use of either resurrection, true resurrection, clone, or miracle. A potential victim protected by a death ward spell is not immune to trap the soul, but receives a +5 bonus on its fortitude saving throw and is immune against the level loss on a successful save.

Fear Aura (Su): Demiliches are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the demilich must succeed at a Will save (DC 14 + demilich’s Cha modifier) or be affected as though by fear as cast by a 21st-level caster.

Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a demilich touches must succeed at a fortitude save (DC 10 + demilich’s HD + demilich’s Cha modifier) or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by a demilich seems dead, though a successful Spot check (DC 20) or Heal check (DC 15) reveals that the victim is still alive.

Special Qualities: The demilich retains all the lich’s special qualities and also has those described below.

Magic Immunity (Ex): Demiliches are immune to all magical and supernatural effects, except as follows. A shatter spell affects a demilich as if it were a crystalline creature, but deals half the damage normally indicated. A dispel evil spell deals 3d6 points of damage (Fortitude save for half damage). Holy smitespells affect demiliches normally.

Phylactery Transference (Su): Headbands, belts, rings, cloaks, and other wearable items kept in close association with the demilich’s phylactery transfer all their benefits to the demilich no matter how far apart the demilich and the phylactery are located. The standard limits on items utilized simultaneously still apply.

Damage Reduction (Su): A demilich loses any previous damage reduction and instead has damage reduction 15/Epic and bludgeoning (15 points of damage is subtracted from all melee attacks unless the weapon used is both an epic and a bludgeoning weapon). Vorpal weapons, no matter their enhancement bonus, ignore this damage reduction but do only half damage to a demilich (demiliches cannot be beheaded).

Skills: Demiliches receive a +20 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the lich (this overlaps with the previous racial bonus gained by the lich; it does not stack).

Liches have phylacteries that allow them to reappear 1d10 days after their apparent death, as do demiliches. Demiliches also have eight soul gems, each of which acts like a phylactery in its own right. If all the soul gems, as well as the demilich’s phylactery, are not destroyed after a demilich is downed, the demilich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death. The soul gems also allow the demilich to use its most devastating ability, trap the soul (see above). Each demilich must make its own soul gems, which requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The lich must be a sorcerer, wizard, or cleric of at least 21st level. Each soul gem costs 120,000 gp and 4,800 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation. Soul gems appear as egg-shaped gems of wondrous quality. They are always incorporated directly into the concentrated form of the demilich.

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